Partnerships Strategy & Operations Manager

Partnerships Strategy & Operations Manager

Disney's Direct-to-Consumer Partnerships Strategy & Operations team is seeking a Partnerships Strategy & Operations Manager to help build and scale our global Add-On partnerships business and manage a high-profile joint venture. This role sits at the intersection of strategy and execution, translating partnership strategy into operating plans, analyses, and cross-functional execution. The Manager operates as a core driver of day-to-day partnership operations and executional strategy, ensuring clarity, rigor, and momentum across complex, matrixed initiatives.

The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker and strong operator who can translate ambiguity into structure, drive alignment in a matrixed organization, and execute with excellence. This role will play a critical part in standing up new ways of working while ensuring day-to-day operations run smoothly.

Responsibilities and Duties of the Role:

• Support evaluation and sizing of new Add-On partnership opportunities in collaboration with Strategy and Finance
• Build and refine business cases, including structuring analyses, developing narratives, and connecting opportunities to broader DTC strategic and financial goals
• Partner with Director and cross-functional leaders to develop partnership recommendations, clearly articulating tradeoffs, risks, and executional considerations
• Prepare materials and insights to support deal discussions and internal decision-making
• Help design and operationalize frameworks for evaluating and prioritizing add on partnership opportunities across regions
• Build and maintain standardized templates and tools for business cases, pipeline tracking, and performance reporting
• Support development of global playbooks that define how partnerships are structured, evaluated, and executed
• Drive consistency and adoption of planning processes across global and regional teams
• Own the day-to-day operating model for the joint venture, serving as the central point of coordination across internal teams and external partners, including identifying decision points, surfacing risks, and elevating recommendations to senior leadership as needed
• Define and streamline information flows, including product, marketing, and data requests
• Partner with internal analytics and external counterparts to ensure consistent KPI definitions and reporting standards
• Develop executive-ready materials and narratives for JV discussions, synthesizing inputs into clear insights and recommendations, including implications, tradeoffs, and clear asks
• Track key initiatives, decisions, and follow-ups to ensure accountability and momentum across teams
• Drive alignment across a highly matrixed set of stakeholders, including product, finance, legal, content, and regional teams
• Translate strategic priorities into clear workstreams, timelines, and deliverables
• Identify and resolve cross-functional blockers, ensuring forward progress on key initiatives
• Operate with a high degree of ownership and accountability in a fast-paced, evolving environment

Required Education, Experience/Skills/Training:

• Bachelor's degree or relevant equivalent experience
• 5-7 years of experience in strategy, operations, consulting, investment banking, or a related field
• Familiarity with partnerships, business development, or joint venture environments
• Proven ability to operate in a matrixed organization and influence stakeholders without direct authority
• Experience managing cross-functional initiatives and driving execution across multiple teams
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to synthesize information into clear narratives for senior leadership
• Strong problem-solving and structured thinking skills, with the ability to break down complex, ambiguous problems
• High attention to detail and strong project management capabilities

Nice to Haves:

• Experience in media, streaming, or subscription-based businesses
• Experience building processes or operating models in evolving or early-stage contexts

Disability accommodation for employment applications

The Walt Disney Company and its Affiliated Companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers and welcome all job seekers including individuals with disabilities and veterans with disabilities. If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening or apply for a position, email Candidate.Accommodations@Disney.com with your request. This email address is not for general employment inquiries or correspondence. We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.

The Walt Disney Company is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. Disney fosters a business culture where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a rapidly changing world.

The hiring range for this position in Santa Monica, California is $139,200.00 - $186,600.00 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.